Mustang Football Mourns the Loss of Former Head Coach Lyle Setencich
9/21/2026 3:49:00 PM | Football
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Lyle Setencich, Cal Poly's head football coach for seven seasons who also coached at Boise State, Pacific, Arizona State, Cal and Texas Tech, passed away on June 23, 2026, in Grover Beach, Calif., at the age of 81.
Setencich compiled a 41-29-2 record as head coach of the Mustangs from 1987-93. He was hired as Cal Poly's 12th head football coach after James Sanderson stepped down in 1986 and his 41 wins are the seventh-most among the Mustangs' 19 head coaches in the sport.
Setencich guided the Mustangs to the 1990 NCAA Division II playoffs and a 10-1 regular-season record prior to a quarterfinal-round loss to North Dakota State in the postseason. Cal Poly shared the 1990 Western Football Conference title with Cal State Northridge.
All-Americans under Setencich were defensive lineman Robert Morris in 1989, defensive lineman Pat Moore in 1990 and punter Doug O'Neill in 1991. Chris Dunn, another defensive lineman, was a ninth-round draft selection by the Atlanta Falcons in 1989.
Setencich was head coach at Boise State from 1983-86, winning 24 of 44 games. His final season was the first for the Blue Turf on Lyle Smith Field inside Albertsons Stadium.
After spending a decade coaching in the high school ranks in California, Setencich originally joined the Broncos as the defensive backs coach in 1980 under Jim Criner. He was moved to defensive coordinator prior to the season, helping guide Boise State to the NCAA Division I-AA National Championship, defeating Eastern Kentucky, 31-29, in the title game. The Broncos reached the semifinal round the following season.
In total, Setencich spent three seasons as the Broncos' defensive coordinator. He was elevated to the head coaching position in 1983 when Criner departed for Iowa State. His 24 victories as head coach are tied with Pokey Allen (1993-96) and current head coach Spencer Danielson for the ninth-most in program history.
A former player, Setencich was a 1963 graduate of Washington Union High School in Fresno before he competed for two years at the College of the Sequoias. He finished his playing career with two seasons under head coach Darryl Rogers at Fresno State (1965-66). Setencich graduated in 1967 with a degree in biological sciences and a minor in physical education.
Born on June 4, 1945, in Reedley, Calif., Setencich served in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps in 1972 as a physical therapy specialist with the 828th station hospital in Fresno and held the rank of Specialist 5.
He began his coaching career as a high school assistant at Washington Union in 1969, then at Mount Diablo (1970-73) in Concord before earning his first head coaching position at Albany for the 1974-75 seasons and San Ramon Valley from 1976-79.
Following his stints at Boise State and Cal Poly, Setencich was an assistant coach at Pacific (1994) under Chuck Shelton, Arizona State (1995-96) under Bruce Snyder, Cal (1997-2001) under Tom Holmoe and Texas Tech (2003-07) under Mike Leach.
The 1996 Sun Devils were first in the Pac-10 Conference in total defense (304.7 yards per game allowed), one year after the team was last in the same category.
Setencich is survived by his son, Peter. His wife Kathy passed away in 2023.
